Endosulfan residues on alfalfa hay exposed to drying by sunlight, ultraviolet light and air

Abstract

Endosulfan residues on alfalfa hay exposed to drying by sunlight, ultraviolet light and air under controlled conditions were investigated using g.l.c. and t.l.c. Maximum loss of total endosulfan and related residues calculated as endosulfan occurred approximately 7 days after application and exposure on Lot 1 (dark) and 5 days on Lot II (ultraviolet light) and 6 days on Lot III (sunlight). Maximum losses of residues on Lot I, Lot II and Lot HI were 48.3, 66.7 and 81.9%, respectively. No endosulfan lactone was detected in any of the samples exposed to the different light treatments. In all Lots the endosulfan sulphate percentage of the total residue increased but most dramatically in the dark drying experiment. The endosulfan a‐hydroxy ether residues increased in Lot III (sunlight) up to day 7.

Effects of light on the fate of carbofuran during the drying of alfalfa

“…Fahey et al (1970) showed that carbofuran residues on green alfalfa were not found 14 days after treatment at the rates of 0.5 and 1.0 lb/acre in 20 gal of spray in Indiana, and dehydration of the alfalfa in a drum-type commercial dehydrator reduced the carbofuran residues by 65%. The effect of drying harvested mature alfalfa plants by sunlight, ultraviolet light, and air in the dark on residues of DDT and related chlorinated hydrocarbon residues (Archer, 1969), toxaphene residues (Archer, 1971), and endosulfan residues (Archer, 1973) has been published.…”